Krabi and the Andaman Beach Scene

Most people visit Krabi to transit to the various Thai beach paradises nearby. We came to Krabi and stayed for two weeks. Though it doesn’t have any particularly amazing sites, the town and its people impressed us as friendly, approachable, and authentic. But as our days in Thailand came to an end, we opted to rejoin the tourist route to explore nearby beaches and take in some excellent diving.

Mooring at East Railay

Ko Lanta

Koh Phi Phi is known as the quintessential beach paradise (it’s where Leonardo frolicked in The Beach), but we opted instead for Ko Lanta, rumored to be a more laid back and less expensive alternative. After the hyper-tourism and over-development we experienced in Patong, Ko Lanta sounded more our speed.

Upon our arrival, our first priority was to sort out our scuba diving plans. The choice of scuba diving companies in Ko Lanta's main port, Saladan, is endless. It becomes more a matter of choosing which one looked professional, had friendly dive instructors, and had a boat scheduled for the islands we wanted to go to. After a few minutes of talking with Rob, a British dive instructor at Go Dive, we were signed up for the next day’s dives at Ko Ma islands.

Rob also advised us on where to look for reasonably priced accommodation on Ko Lanta's Long Beach. As in other areas of Thailand, the trend is to build more upscale resorts. Inexpensive bungalows are still available, but are not quite as cheap nor as numerous as before. We eventually settled into a simple bungalow behind Funky Fish Restaurant for 200 baht ($6) per night that was 200 meters from the beach. It’s not a place that we could see many of our friends staying in, but it suited our needs just fine.

Dusk on Long Beach, Ko Lanta

Long Beach is logically named for its long stretch of sandy beach. In the late afternoon, foreigners pack up their beach gear and head in as the sun weakens and the locals come out in force to swim, play soccer and volleyball, run or just to enjoy the sunset. Restaurants assemble trays of seafood on ice and pull chairs and tables out onto the back-beach sandy areas. It had a similar feel to Haad Yao in Koh Pha Ngan, but was a bit more upscale and pricier.

The two days of scuba diving we did with Go Dive at Ko Ma and Koh Phi Phi islands were fantastic. We thought the diving we had done off of Koh Pha Ngan two years prior was good, but the Andaman side takes it up a notch in terms of the variety, volume and color of marine life. Our dive instructors, Rob and Jerome, were genuinely interested in showing us small details and tiny creatures that we would have never found on our own. They would find a particular crevice in a rock where harlequin shrimp normally hang out or the place where the yellow sea horse has made his home the last few months. Even though they dove regularly in this area, they seemed as just as excited as we were to catch a glimpse.

Ko Lanta Travel Tips

How to get there: Every guesthouse and travel agent in Krabi sells boat tickets to Ko Lanta that include transfer from your hotel to the pier. The cost is around 300 baht ($9) and the boat ride takes about 3 hours.Scuba Diving: Go Dive has its main office at 116 Moo 1, Saladan with outlets at various beaches around the island. They will pick you up at your hotel in the morning and drop you off after diving. info@godive-lanta.com

Railay Beach

A couple on our dive boat had just been married on Railay beach and another friend had written that it was his favorite beach in the area, so we decided to work in a stop there before departing Ko Lanta. There is a boat that goes to Railay from Ko Lanta, but it leaves in the afternoon. We opted for the regular boat to Krabi and then transfer to long-tail boat from Ao Nang for Railay. The only drawback to this approach is that you must wait until there are enough people (usually eight) to fill the boat.

Railey Beach perfection.

Now we understand why Railay is among the top choice of honeymooning couples – it is stunning. The boat ride there navigates limestone islands and low-hung patches of tropical growth. The “port” in East Railay does not have a beach. As a result, this is where you'll find more reasonably priced accommodation. And it's located only a few minutes walk to West Railay, where postcard white-sand meets crystal blue water in a beach framed by limestone cliffs and tropical flora. We took an afternoon at West Railay beach to soak up one more dose of sun before returning to Krabi and then to Bangkok the next day.

Because of the captive audience, restaurants and accommodation in West Railay are relatively expensive. Ko Lanta offers something a bit more downscale and relaxed, and was more to our taste. Take your pick – you won't be disappointed.

Railey Beach Transport

How to get to Railey Beach: Long-tail boats leave from Ao Nang beach for West Railay and from just before Ao Nang for East Railay. The price is set at 40-60 baht per person.

Ao Nang Beach

Located about 45 minutes from Krabi, Ao Nang is an easy beach stop for people staying in Krabi. On our first trip to Ao Nang, Audrey was befriended by a masseuse who showed us the main beach, pointed out where to pick up boats for Railay, and gave us some fruit from her massage stand. The main beach has an amusing set up – endless Thai massage stands compete with each other for customers, offering fruit and free use of beach mats as incentive. The beach is protected by trees and surrounded by dramatic limestone cliffs.

The town of Ao Nang has the standard run of tailor shops, souvenir shops, restaurants and dive shops. We satisfied our craving for Indian food in town and had an amusing scene play out in front of us with Japanese photographers and stylists and Thai models in a commercial shoot. It was the height of the hot season, so the models melted under their formal gowns and suits and layers of makeup as the Japanese attendants put on cool, “western” airs.

How to get to Ao Nang Beach: Songthaews (pick-up truck with benches) from Krabi run every 10 minutes. Just flag one down and hop in – the cost is 40 baht per person.

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About Audrey Scott

Audrey Scott is a writer, storyteller, speaker and tourism development consultant. She aims to help turn people's fears into curiosity. She harbors an obsession for artichokes and can bake a devastating pan of brownies. You can keep up with her adventures on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. And you can learn more about her on the About Page and on LinkedIn.

Comments

@Nisha: We were traveling as a couple throughout Thailand, but we did meet many women traveling solo who did not have any problems. Like anywhere, you have to be aware of your surroundings and be more aware if you are walking around alone very late at night but traveling after sunset should be fine. As for transport, there are Songthaews (like a pickup truck with seats) that you can jump on and off or you can make arrangements with your hotel to pick you up or share transport (e.g., taxi/rickshaw) with other travelers. Good luck! It’s a beautiful part of the world!

My first time here but enjoyed your posts.
I am leaving for Malaysia & Thailand next weekend on a solo trip. It would be my 1st visit to Thailand and I was thinking of exploring these little known places of southern Thailand. Your posts have helped me in deciding.

Being a female, I am a bit apprehensive of safety issues and travelling after sunset or in evening. Any guidance?

And how does one travel within the city…. e.g. from north pt to southern pt of Ko Lanta? Or there are always tour ppl to pick us up?

Hi there! My husband and I are headed to Thailand beaches for 8 days this November for our honeymoon. We are interested in Ko Phi Phi, Ko Lanta and Railay beach. What would be the best itinerary from Bangkok? Fly to Phuket or to Krabi? How much time should we spend on each island?
thank you!

Hi Kathleen,
Krabi is closer, but if the flights to Phuket are much cheaper then I’d just take that option as it’s easy to arrange a transfer. We haven’t spent time on Ko Phi Phi, but I’d recommend spending the longest amount of time on Ko Lanta as it is a bit more low key and less busy than the other beaches. If you like scuba diving, you can find some good diving trips off of Ko Lanta and Ko Phi Phi. Enjoy your trip!

I would also suggest the same. But don’t stay in Phuket for long. Too crowded. Koh Lanta is quiet and scenic. Opt for a cottage stay, quite inexpensive.

If you are going to Krabi, then Railay beach is the best. Also, in Krabi you have two night markets, one of them by the riverside and it is open on all the seven days. Very popular among tourists, it has best street food and an awesome setting.

Hey Audrey. I was looking for a bit of advice in planning a honeymoon trip to the Krabi-Ao Nang-Koh Lanta area around the second week of December. I’d like to explore Krabi and Koh Lanta and was wondering if wecan do both places in 4-5 days. Also, what would be the better place to make our base-camp , Krabi/Railley or Koh Lanta?

Hi Musab,
It would be possible to spend 2 days in Krabi and Koh Lanta each, with a transport day in-between. But, you may find your honeymoon a bit more enjoyable if you just spend the 4-5 days in one place. I’d recommend Koh Lanta as it’s a bit more remote (i.e., beaches less crowded) and has all different styles of accommodation, many of which are right on the beach. Enjoy your honeymoon!!

Hello! My husband and I will be visiting Thailand April 13-24. We are flying in and out of Phuket. I have booked a Patong Beach hotel for the first 2 nights of 13th and 14th so we can experience the nightlife (during Songkran Festival). What order/itinerary would you recommend to visit the surrounding islands? We wanted to visit Ko Lanta, Railay and Ko Phi Phi. Are these good choices? We both love good Thai food, beautiful beaches, adventure and a touch of the party scene on the weekends. Would you recommend eliminating one of those destinations/substituting with a better destination? My birthday is on the 20th and I was hoping for a bit more luxury accommodations during that time period. Any input would be so helpful! Thanks!

Hi Chelsea,
Sounds like you have a great trip coming up! We really like Ko Lanta and you can find a beach with whatever scene you’re looking for – party beach, laid back fishing atmosphere, a little luxury, etc. Railay is gorgeous. We’ve only been there as a day trip, but the beach is beautiful and if you want to splurge a bit for your birthday this might be the place to do it to get a room with a view. We have not been to Ko Phi Phi, but we’ve heard from friends who have visited several times over the years that it has become quite over-built (even after the Tsunami), commercialized and expensive.

About Us

We are Daniel Noll and Audrey Scott, the husband-and-wife storytelling team behind Uncornered Market. From the United States, based in Berlin, world-bound. Through our stories, advisory, and speaking we are creating a movement of travelers who live at the intersection of adventure, deep travel and life experiences, and caring for our planet and its people. More than 90 countries later, we are still going...and still married. Read More

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